With the trend of “more for the same” or, in some cases, “more for more” common in today’s automotive industry, the 2026 Toyota bZ bucks that trend just as it also bucks off the last two letters of its former name. Yes, SUV formerly known as bZ4X is going to start its new, more concisely named journey by being just over $2,000 more affordable. Remember, the 2026 bZ also enjoys improved charging and more driving range than the 2025 bZ4X.
How Much Cheaper, You Say?
The 2026 Toyota bZ lineup kicks off with the entry-level XLE trim level. This front-wheel-drive, single-motor bZ starts at $36,350, making it $2,115 cheaper than the least-expensive bZ4X. This, is despite a $55 increase in the cost of the destination fee, which is now $1,450—and a number we always include in our MSRP reporting. This does come at a penalty of battery capacity as the XLE now gets a smaller 57.7-kWh battery pack that Toyota says is good for 236 miles of range—a good drop from the 252 miles offered by last year’s single-motor XLE. This model also makes a measly 168 hp, down from the 201 hp offered by last year’s entry-level bZ4X.
Buyers can upgrade to the XLE Plus trim, which includes the larger 74.7-kWh battery pack, for $3,000. This battery, combined with single-motor front-wheel drive, is good for up to 314 miles of range and a boost to 221 hp—a big improvement, and more range and power than was available in any 2025 bZ4X (front-drive versions of which only got 201 hp). Even better, the bZ XLE Plus with front-wheel drive only costs $855 more than last year’s 252-mile bZ4X XLE; seems like a worthy tradeoff for much more range and improved charging in a wider variety of climates. (Previously, the bZ4X’s charging suffered in cold weather, something Toyota has worked to address in the bZ.)
Beyond those trim levels sits the XLE AWD, which combines the 74.7-kWh pack with dual electric motors for all-wheel drive and a bump in power from 214 hp to 338 hp. Range similarly improves to 288 miles from 228 miles. Next up is the bZ Limited, which is said to be good for 299 miles in front-wheel-drive form and 278 miles with dual-motor all-wheel drive, both improvements over the 2025 bZ4X Limited’s 236 miles and 222 miles. Prices for these upper trims actually increase over the bZ4X’s, with the XLE AWD model running $805 more than previously, while the Limited AWD is $1,475 dearer. And the biggest hit is to the Limited FWD, which sees a $1,555 increase over the equivalent 2025 bZ4X Limited.
The claimed range improvements help with the bZ4X’s rather so-so driving range. In our first test of the 2026 bZ Limited AWD, we ran it through our MotorTrend Road-Trip Range test (maintaining a steady 70 mph until the battery reports 5 percent charge remaining) and saw 222 miles. Claimed range is 278 miles, but even in the real world, it matched the old bZ4X’s claimed distance, showing improvement. Expect a drop from the claimed range to the real-world range even for the smaller pack, but not one necessarily as large, as the smaller pack and single motor means less weight to carry.
The good news is that the bZ lineup adopts th